I say to you….slow down, smell the agar plates, take the time to document your data. Your future self will thank you, profusely.
Proper documentation provides the context that your data needs to persist through time, to integrate into new systems and to give you credit for your contributions in the form of data citations. Where possible, you should consider contributing the following information along with your dataset.
Post by Tiffany Grant PhD, Research Informationist based at Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library
Organizing Data
When you’re generating data at a rapid pace, it can be easy to label files with names that seem good at the time, but that will have very little meaning to you later. This practice may save time in the present, but it will ultimately lead to great frustration in the future when finding these exact files seem nearly impossible.
A good practice for data organization is to give your files meaningful, descriptive names, but avoiding long file names. Files names should allow you to identify a precise experiment from the name.
How meaningful are the following file names?
Let’s kick off LOVE YOUR DATA week with KEEPING DATA SAFE.
First a sad story – in one of my first Top Ten Tips for Data Management workshops, I had a workshop participant who I thought was bored out of his skull. He had a glazed look in his eyes and kept shaking his head as if he was saying no, no, no. I approached him, though with some reservations after the workshop, and asked what he thought about the topic and my presentation. His words and I quote were “if only I had known this 6 months ago…I just lost my dissertation work and I am still getting over the shock”. Not bored, but in shock. He had lost 6 months’ worth of work. Sadly he is not the first. If only he and others had known about 3-2-1 or Here-Near and Far.
3-2-1 stands for
3 copies (1 primary copy and two backup copies of your data)
2 formats for storage (use a computer hard drive and an external hard drive)
1 remote copy (cloud storage or geographically separate from your other copies)
These three tips will help keep your data safe and protect your valuable time.
Here, Near and Far is another way of thinking about the same tips. Set up an automatic back up for your data to make it even easier.
At UC we have a few tools that can help you back up your data:
1) Use your Box account. You have 50 GB available to you. IT@UC also has other data solutions available.
2) You can track your work with the Open Science Framework developed by the Center for Open Science or use GitHub.
3) Attend a data management workshop offered by UC Libraries. We have several coming up particular a workshop called Managing Research Data from Generation to Preservation on April 19th.
Fun Fact: Did you know we can still look at Darwin’s original notebooks through the Darwin Online project. Someone took extra special care for those files. Let’s do the same for your data.
Check out this fun video about data back-up and learn how the movie Toy Story 2 was almost lost, but was saved by the 3-2-1 rule.
Visit the Love your Data website for more tips to help keep your data safe. Follow the event on Twitter at #LYD16.
Join us for LOVE YOUR DATA WEEK February 8 – 12 2016. This week long social media event will celebrate your biggest research asset – your data. Each day will highlight tips and resources around a specific theme.
Monday: Keeping Data Safe
Tuesday: Organizing Data
Wednesday: Documenting Data
Thursday: Data Sharing – Data Citations
Friday: Open Data – Reusing Data
Website: https://loveyourdata.wordpress.com/
Twitter: #LYD16
Instagram: #LYD16
Facebook: #LYD16
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/coateshl/love-your-data-2016/
https://www.pinterest.com/coateshl/the-changing-face-of-data/
OSF 101 Webinar
The Open Science Framework is a free, open source web application created by the Center for Open Science built to help researchers manage their workflows. The OSF is part collaboration tool, part version control software, and part data archive.
Learn how to make the most of your free OSF account by participating in our upcoming webinar. Make managing your research easier with these features:
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 – 11a -12p EST
Click here for details and to register.
To learn more about the Center for Open Science, visit their website: https://cos.io/
An overview of OSHA’s rating system for laboratory chemicals
Issue 36 provides a brief insight into the history of labeling chemical bottles.
Click here for all other issues of Notes from the Oesper Collections and to explore the Jensen-Thomas Apparatus Collection.
In the Fall, the Chem-Bio Library held two Mendeley workshop in the Chem-Bio Library’s Collaborative Zone (503 Rieveschl Hall) , making use of the library’s new wireless displays. The workshop covered: Mendeley installation, inputting & organizing citations, generating citations & bibliographies, installing citation styles, and creating groups and sharing references.
Check out the library’s Mendeley guide to get more information on Mendeley and the workshop’s materials: http://guides.libraries.uc.edu/Citation-Tools/Mendeley
Future Workshop Topics for Graduate Students
What are some workshops topics that you would like the Chem-Bio Library to consider developing for the future? These could include information tools, resources/software offered in the library, data management, electronic notebooks, and possibly other information & technology topics.
Let us know at the below survey!
Due to a planned electric shutdown for preventative maintenance, the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Library (Baldwin Hall), Chemistry-Biology Library (Reiveschl) and Langsam Library will all be closed Saturday, November 28.
This closing includes the UCit@Langsam Lab located on the 5th floor of Langsam Library. The lab will close 12am, Saturday, November 28 and reopen noon, Sunday, November 29 when the remainder of Langsam re-opens.
Both the CEAS Library and Chemistry-Biology Library have spaces with 24-hour card access. These will be deactivated beginning 5pm, Wednesday, November 25 through the next time the libraries open (Sunday, November 29 at 1pm for the CEAS Library, and Monday, November 30 at 8:30am for the Chemistry-Biology Library).
Hans Jaffé (1919-1989)
Issue 35 recounts the recent discovery of a plaster model of the electron density of naphthalene discovered in the bottom drawer of one of the filing cabinets belonging to the late Hans Jaffé, who served as the UC chemistry department’s specialist in quantum mechanics from 1954-1989.
Click here for all other issues of Notes from the Oesper Collections and to explore the Jensen-Thomas Apparatus Collection.
UC Libraries and IT@UC Research and Development are pleased to present a 1-hour workshop that will provide an introduction on the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) resources and how to use them.
The workshop will be offered Friday, Nov. 13, on both UC’s East and West campuses, at the following times and locations:
Topics include:
This workshop is open to anyone who might be interested in learning about OSC resources. To register for a workshop, visit www.osc.edu/nov13 .
Contact Jane E. Combs, IT@UC Research & Development director, at combsje@ucmail.uc.edu with questions.